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Oct 6 - Oct 13,2002 |
Mystical magical melons
High water content makes watermelon so very refreshing
Originally Published: 2002-09-22
Melons, like zucchini belong to the pumpkin family. The many varieties of this fruit originally came from southern Asia and Equatorial Africa. Today, these varieties are grown all over central and southern Italy as well as on the islands.
Piles of tempting melons can be found at roadside stands as a refreshing snack on the way to the beach. Children love biting into a slice of cool, juicy watermelon after a few hours of playing in the sand or in the water.
As a small child I remember a neighbour who had a passion for growing a very special melon. More sweet and delicious than any other, he claimed the seeds came from his hometown of Cosenza in Calabria and these special melons were grown in his family for generations.
He was so protective of his prized heritage that he threatened his neighbours who might try to steel a melon for the seeds, that they would grow warts, and their soil will turn to sand - or both. I never got to taste these guarded delicacies but I do remember his favourite way of eating them was to cut it in half, remove the seeds, fill the hollow with red wine and dig in with a large spoon!
You too can enjoy the sweetest and juiciest of all melons right now because it's melon season! This means you forgo buying your melons at the grocery store (unless they're from a local farm) and go directly to the market for the juiciest melons with the greatest intensity of flavour.
If asked, practically no one hesitates to reveal his or her family wisdom about how to select the sweetest melon from among surrounding look-a-likes. My nonna always told us that a ripe, sweet melon will always sound hollow when tapped lightly. My zio had more success picking out a melon that sounded dull and muffled, but never hollow! One thing is for sure, people everywhere can be seen, melons in hand, thumping, sniffing, shaking, slapping and listening. These tricks and hints are part of people's heritage, handed down from generation to generation.
It is difficult to be definitive about melons because there are so many of them. Not only are there various sizes and varieties of watermelons to choose from but also different types of honeydew melons as well.
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